It’s berry season - strawberries, raspberries and, my favorite, sweet yet tart blueberries! I picked up a quart of organic blueberries this afternoon from our neighborhood health food store and quickly decided after a taste or two that I needed to make blueberry crepes!

I have a Maxim Crepe Maker that I bought for $10 about 18 years ago at a consignment shop - I’ve used it maybe once or twice a year since I bought it, but I figure I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of it and it still looks and acts brand new.

It’s best to make the batter an hour or more ahead of time - it will perform better if it has time to sit. Combine 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of melted butter in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds to combine. Let sit on the counter for one hour or refrigerate until ready to use. While it’s resting, make the fresh (or from frozen) blueberry topping. (Note: the measuring cup shows the milk and water combined to make one cup.)

For the topping, in a small non-stick sauce pan stir together 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of corn starch. Add 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon or more to taste of fresh lemon juice. Then add one cup of fresh (or frozen) blueberries. Stir to combine, heat to a gentle boil, turn off heat and let sit until warm.

To make the crepes, pour the batter into a plate bigger than your crepe maker. Dip the crepe maker into the batter in a gentle sideways motion and then flatten into the plate. Gently and quickly pull up (you’ll feel a resistance) and turn over and set down upright. Within 45 seconds or so, the crepe will be done and you can tip it over and slide it off the crepe maker onto a plate. Keep going…. the batter will make about 16 crepes, which you can refrigerate or freeze until you want to use them.

To assemble, take a crepe and spoon in on one side three to four tablespoons of vanilla ice cream. Roll it up like a cigar. Spoon the warm blueberry topping over it. And if you wish, add a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Enjoy!

An early birthday present from my Mom - a necklace, bracelet and earrings that match my seaside tablescape! And I found the perfect silk top that perfectly matches the colors in the necklace. Now I just have to schedule a dinner party and plan a seaside menu.

It will be two years ago this July that I redecorated the “Man Room” while my husband Bill was away on a motorcycle ride from Paducah to the Grand Canyon and back. He was gone for ten days and so I took it as a chance to paint, redecorate, buy new furniture, move things around and update for the first time in at that time the seven years we’ve lived here - it was time.

Our “Man Room” is the lower level of three in our home and it’s a walk-out basement apartment that is open to the back yard. It’s simply a mother-in-law suite, a full one-bedroom including a full kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom. Our parents love it as when they visit they have full control over their comings and goings, coffee, breakfast, snacks and just hanging out. And Bill loves it the rest of the time as his “Man Room” where he hangs out watching TV with his dog Kalli and sneaking ice cream out of the freezer.

Here are the after pics…. I know I have one great photo somewhere of what I found under the refrigerator after I moved it but I’ll look for it!

But I did find the before and after photographs of the “Man Room” guest bedroom! Here they are…..

I just finished my latest tablescape that I’m calling, “Bicycling on the Beach.” The whole table idea started when I spotted three painted metal bicycles at Big Lots a few weeks ago - the bicycles just made me think of beaches! I’m still working on taking photographs so I’ll just post this one that I took with Instagram.

I ran around town to pull together the tabletop accessories. I already owned all the plates and chargers - I just had to dig them out of storage in various rooms around the house. The table is a combination of purchases from Kohl’s, Big Lots, TJ Maxx, Michael’s and Pier One. I love the turtles - they’re supposed to be tea lights but I turned them into salt cellars and made sure they all pointed in different directions so it would look like they were crawling off to the ocean.

I want to hire a friend to design a new logo and website for me but it just isn’t in the budget right now. So I revisited an old logo design I played with a few years ago and made some changes. I’m posting it to see how I like it and how I would change it after seeing it on the website. Any comments?

Layla at The Lettered Cottage posted a link to a website that will generate a custom library catalog card that looks like the old catalog cards from my childhood. You don’t have to use it just as a catalog card - use it as a memory card! You can fill in whatever information you want on it and where it says “scribble” whatever you fill in will show up in scribbled handwriting on the card! Cool!

I worked out today for the third time at Curves. And I signed up for their version of the Biggest Loser, an eight week commitment with 23 other women starting next Monday. I hope it’s just the jump-start I need to start losing weight and getting in shape! My goal is to wear a two-piece bathing suit this summer, something other than the one pieces I’ve worn for years with the skirt that hides my hips and stomach.

I definitely broke a sweat today and I can feel it in my back legs, a little burn…. I’m looking forward to the eight week challenge and to see how many inches I can work off. I think it will also help keep me motivated to keep working out, which needs to be a life change for me.

I’ve lost one pound in a week. That’s a start! Just 19 more to go to a new, healthier and stronger me!

Since we’re officially one month away from Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share photos of how I decorated my antique Irish hutch last year, all in shades of pinks and greens. Check out the tablescape photo link above for more photographs.